The Red Goblin finally appears and is ready to destroy Spider-Man once and for all. Does Peter Parker even have a chance against this Goblin/Symbiote combination? Dan Slott’s final story arc continues!
The Amazing Spider-Man #798 (Go Down Swinging Part 2)
Writers: Dan Slott
Pencils: Stuart Immonen
Ink: Wade von Grawbadger
Colors: Marte Garcia
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
What You Need to Know:
Previously in “Go Down Swinging”, Norman Osborn and the Carnage Symbiote have formed an alliance to destroy Spider-Man and kidnaps J. Jonah Jameson for information as to his secret identity. Jameson accidentally slips out vital information that allows Norman to conclude that Peter Parker is Spider-Man and begins the next phase of his plan.
Meanwhile, Flash Thompson, the new Anti-Venom, is tasked by Alchemax head Liz Allan to track down Phil Urich/The Goblin King and retrieve the stolen Tritium material, unaware that Urich was killed by Norman himself.
What You’ll Find Out:
At the Daily Bugle, Peter and his science team conduct a method to track down the Tritium that the Goblin King has stolen from Alchemax. They find large traces of Tritium headed towards the Bugle and the Green Goblin appears, announcing the Goblin King is dead and presents a large head statue of Tritium with a bomb. Norman demands Spider-Man shows up and Peter does so.
Meanwhile, Flash Thompson/Anti-Venom is able to track the rest of the Tritium to Norman’s hideout, where he discovers Urich’s corpse and a tied up JJ Jameson, who warns him of the Goblin’s plan. At the Osborn residence, Liz Allan is informed by Flash of the Green Goblin’s return, but before she and Harry could do anything, Emma the caretaker shot them with tranquilizers and kidnaps the children.
Back at the Bugle, everyone has evacuated while the fight between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin continues. Unable to stop the bomb, Peter creates a huge cocoon to protect himself from the blast. In the aftermath, Peter finds a ‘mortally wounded’ Norman, who reveals that he knows Peter’s identity before the Carnage symbiote reveals itself and it and Norman become the Red Goblin.
Knowing he’s no match for a Goblin-Symbiote fusion, Spider-Man flees but is wounded by the Red Goblin’s symbiote bombs, which bite onto his leg before detonating. The Red Goblin then informs Peter that if he continues being Spider-Man from this point forward, the Goblin will start killing everyone from Peter’s circle. A badly injured Peter Parker promises Norman he will take him down.
What Just Happened:
This issue took a few weeks to be released from the last one. I am not sure why it took that long, but if the purpose was to Slott and his team gets to polish the issue a bit, it worked. This was a really good chapter of the arc.
We finally see the Red Goblin in action and Peter had the same thought as the audience (or at least to myself) that Carnage+Green Goblin = get the f outta there, now!. Even though we see a tiny bit of Red Goblin’s new powers, it was quite menacing and definitely something that calls for the Avengers or the X-Men for backup. Not this time, however. Peter has to deal with this menace all on his own, with probably some help from Flash Thompson, whose Anti-Venom powers are the only thing that will help keep the fight on a level playing field.
There are already preview panels of ASM #800 that show Peter coming back to face Goblin in a form we haven’t seen in quite awhile. I won’t spoil it, but it does bring a delight to the Spider-Man fan in me. We also have some unanswered questions, such as the caretaker Emma and her kidnapping of Norman’s grandchildren, and if the events of Threat Level Red may come into play in the next two issues.
Rating: 8/10
Final Thoughts:
While Threat Level Red may turn out a disappointment for Slott, he pretty much redeemed himself with Go Down Swinging. Red Goblin is quite the menacing figure as he is portrayed to be in the first few panels, but Peter is ready to fight him head-on despite the disadvantage. If Slott can keep this level of hype consistently in the next 2 issues, his final run as head writer on Spider-Man can go with a bang, literally.
Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook!
Join our Age of Social Media Network consisting of X-Men, Marvel, DC, Superhero and Action Movies, Anime, Indie Comics, and numerous fan pages. Interested in becoming a member? Join us by clicking here and pick your favorite group!